The Jesuit New World Order

Friday, 8 June 2012

Monarchys of the world

A monarchy is a form of government in which sovereignty is actually or nominally embodied in a single individual (the monarch).[1]Forms of monarchy differ widely based on the level of legal autonomy
the monarch holds in governance, the method of selection of the monarch,
and any predetermined limits on the length of their tenure. When the
monarch has no or few legal restraints in state and political matters,
it is called an absolute monarchy and is a form of autocracy. Cases in which the monarch's discretion is formally limited (most common today) are called constitutional monarchies. In hereditary monarchies, the office is passed through inheritance within a family group, whereas elective monarchies
are selected by some system of voting. Historically these systems are
most commonly combined, either formally or informally, in some manner.
(For instance, in some elected monarchies only those of certain
pedigrees are considered eligible, whereas many hereditary monarchies
have legal requirements regarding the religion, age, gender, mental
capacity, and other factors that act both as de facto elections and to create situations of rival claimants whose legitimacy is subject to effective election.) Finally, there are situations in which the expiration of a monarch’s reign
is set based either on the calendar or on the achievement of certain
goals (repulse of invasion, for instance.) The effect of historical and
geographic difference along each of these three axes is to create widely
divergent structures and traditions defining “monarchy.”

Monarchy was the most common form of government into the 19th
century, but it is no longer prevalent, at least at the national level.
Where it exists, it now often takes the form of constitutional monarchy,
in which the monarch retains a unique legal and ceremonial role, but
exercises limited or no political power pursuant to a constitution or
tradition which allocates governing authority elsewhere. Currently, 44
sovereign nations in the world have monarchs acting as heads of state, 16 of which are Commonwealth realms that recognize Queen Elizabeth II as their head of state. All European monarchies are constitutional ones, with the exception of the Vatican City,
but sovereigns in the smaller states exercise greater political
influence than in the larger. The monarchs of Cambodia, Japan, Jordan,
Malaysia and Morocco "reign, but do not rule" although there is
considerable variation in the amount of authority they wield. Although
they reign under constitutions, the monarchs of Brunei, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Swaziland
appear to continue to exercise more political influence than any other
single source of authority in their nations, either by constitutional
mandate or by tradition.

Etymology

The word monarch (Latin: monarcha) comes from the Greekmonàrches, μονάρχης (from mònos, μόνος, "one/singular," and àrchon, ἄρχων, "leader/ruler/chief") which referred to a single, at least nominally absolute ruler. In current usage the word monarchy generally refers to a traditional system of hereditary rule, as elective monarchies are rare in the modern period.

Person of monarch

Most states only have a single person acting as monarch at any given
time, although two monarchs have ruled simultaneously in some countries,
a situation known as diarchy. Historically this was the case in the ancient Greek city-state of Sparta or 17th-century Russia, and there are examples of joint sovereignty of spouses or relatives (such as William and Mary in the Kingdoms of England and Scotland). Other examples of joint sovereignty include TsarsPeter I and Ivan V of Russia and Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and Joanna of Castile of the Crown of Castile.Andorra currently is the world's sole constitutional diarchy or co-principality. Located in the Pyrenees between Spain and France, it has two co-princes: the Bishop of Urgell (a prince-bishop) in Spain and the President of France. It is the only situation in which an independent country's monarch is democratically elected by the citizens of another country.In a personal union, separate independent states share the same crown with one person as the monarch. The sixteen separate Commonwealth realms
are sometimes described as being in a personal union with Queen
Elizabeth II as monarch, however, legally each Commonwealth Realm has
its own crown or monarchy, so they can also be described as being in a Shared Monarchy.A regent may rule when the monarch is a minor, absent, or debilitated.A pretender is a claimant to an abolished throne or to a throne already occupied by somebody else.Abdication is when a monarch resigns.Monarchs often take part in certain ceremonies, such as a coronation.

Role of religion

Monarchy, especially absolute monarchy, sometimes is linked to religious aspects; many monarchs once claimed the right to rule by the will of a deity (Divine Right of Kings, Mandate of Heaven), a special connection to a deity (sacred king) or even purported to be divine kings, or incarnations of deities themselves (imperial cult). Many European monarchs have been styled Fidei defensor (Defender of the Faith); some hold official positions relating to the state religion or established church.In the Western political tradition, a morally-based, balanced
monarchy is stressed as the ideal form of government, and little
reverence is paid to modern-day ideals of egalitarian democracy: e.g. Saint Thomas Aquinas
unapologetically declares: "Tyranny is wont to occur not less but more
frequently on the basis of polyarchy [rule by many, i.e. oligarchy or
democracy] than on the basis of monarchy." (On Kingship).
However, Thomas Aquinas also stated that the ideal monarchical system
would also have at lower levels of government both an aristocracy and
elements of democracy in order to created a balance of power. The
monarch would also be subject to both natural and divine law, as well,
and also be subject to the Church in matters of religion.In Dante Alighieri's De Monarchia, a spiritualized, imperial Catholic monarchy is strongly promoted according to a Ghibelline world-view in which the "royal religion of Melchizedek" is emphasized against the sacerdotal claims of the rival papal ideology.In Muslim World, The King of Saudi Arabia is a head of state who is both a absolute monarch of country, and Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques of Islam (خادم الحرمين الشريفين).

Dependent monarchies

In some cases monarchs are dependent on other powers (see vassals, suzerainty, puppet state, hegemony). In the British colonial era indirect rule under a paramount power existed, such as the princely states under the British Raj.In Botswana, South Africa, Ghana and Uganda, the ancient kingdoms and chiefdoms
that were met by the colonialists when they first arrived on the
continent are now constitutionally protected as regional and/or
sectional entities. Furthermore, in Nigeria, though the hundreds of sub-regional polities
that exist there are not provided for in the current constitution, they
are nevertheless legally recognised aspects of the structure of
governance that operates in the nation. In addition to these five
countries, peculiar monarchies of varied sizes and complexities exist in
various other parts of Africa.

Succession

The rules for selection of monarchs varies from country to country.
In constitutional monarchies the rule of succession generally is
embodied in a law passed by a representative body, such as a parliament.

Hereditary monarchies

In a hereditary monarchy, the position of monarch is inherited according to a statutory or customary order of succession, usually within one royal family tracing its origin through a historical dynasty
or bloodline. This usually means that the heir to the throne is known
well in advance of becoming monarch to ensure a smooth succession.Primogeniture,
in which the eldest child of the monarch is first in line to become
monarch, is the most common system in hereditary monarchy. The order of
succession is usually affected by rules on gender. Historically "agnatic
primogeniture" or "patrilineal primogeniture" was favoured, that is
inheritance according to seniority of birth among the sons of a monarch
or head of family, with sons and their male issue inheriting before brothers and their issue, and male-line males inheriting before females of the male line.[4] This is the same as semi-Salic primogeniture. Complete exclusion of females from dynastic succession is commonly referred to as application of the Salic law (see Terra salica).Before primogeniture was enshrined in European law and tradition,
kings would often secure the succession by having their successor
(usually their eldest son) crowned during their own lifetime, so for a
time there would be two kings in coregency – a senior king and a junior king. Examples include Henry the Young King of England and the early Direct Capetians in France.Sometimes, however, primogeniture can operate through the female
line. In some systems a female may rule as monarch only when the male
line dating back to a common ancestor is exhausted. In 1980, Sweden
became the first European monarchy to declare equal (full cognatic)
primogeniture, meaning that the eldest child of the monarch, whether
female or male, ascends to the throne.[5] Other kingdoms (such as the Netherlands in 1983, Norway in 1990, Belgium in 1991) have since followed suit. Similar reforms were proposed in 2011 for the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth Realms, but have yet to pass into law, pending approval by all of the affected nations. Sometimes religion is affected; under the Act of Settlement 1701 all Roman Catholics and all persons who have married Roman Catholics are ineligible to be the British monarch and are skipped in the order of succession.In the case of the absence of children, the next most senior member
of the collateral line (for example, a younger sibling of the previous
monarch) becomes monarch. In complex cases, this can mean that there are
closer blood relatives to the deceased monarch than the next in line
according to primogeniture. This has often led, especially in Europe in
the Middle Ages, to conflict between the principle of primogeniture and the principle of proximity of blood, with outcomes that were idiosyncratic[clarification needed].Other hereditary systems of succession included tanistry, which is semi-elective and gives weight to merit and Agnatic seniority. In some monarchies, such as Saudi Arabia,
succession to the throne usually first passes to the monarch's next
eldest brother, and only after that to the monarch's children (agnatic
seniority).

Other European constitutional monarchies. Andorra, Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and Sweden
are fully democratic states in which the monarch has a limited or
largely ceremonial role. There is generally a Christian religion
established as the official church in each of these countries. This is a
form of Protestantism in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and the Netherlands, while Belgium, Luxembourg, and Andorra are Roman Catholic countries. Spain has no official State religion.

European Constitutional/Absolute MonarchiesLiechtenstein and Monaco are constitutional monarchies in which the Prince retains many powers of an absolute monarch. For example the 2003 Constitution referendum which gives the Prince of Liechtenstein the power to veto any law that the Landtag
proposes and the Landtag can veto any law that the Prince tries to
pass. The Prince can hire or dismiss any elective member or government
employee from his or her post. However what makes him not an absolute
monarchy is that the people can call for a referendum to end the
monarchy's reign. The Prince of Monaco
has simpler powers but can not hire or dismiss any elective member or
government employee from his or her post, but he can elect the minister of state, government council and judges. Both Albert II and Hans-Adam II have quite a bit of political power, but they also own huge tracts of land and are shareholders in many companies.

Islamic monarchies. These Islamic monarchs of Bahrain, Brunei, Jordan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates
generally retain far more powers than their European or Commonwealth
counterparts. Brunei, Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia remain absolute
monarchies; Bahrain, Kuwait and United Arab Emirates are classified as
mixed, meaning there are representative bodies of some kind, but the
monarch retains most of his powers. Jordan, Malaysia and Morocco are
constitutional monarchies, but their monarchs still retain more
substantial powers than European equivalents. Malaysia could also be
considered as an East Asian constitutional monarchy (see next).

East Asian constitutional monarchies. Bhutan, Cambodia, Japan, Thailand
have constitutional monarchies where the monarch has a limited or
ceremonial role. Bhutan, Japan, and Thailand are countries that were
never colonised by European powers, but have changed from traditional
absolute monarchies into constitutional ones during the twentieth
century. Cambodia had its own monarchy after independence from France,
which was deposed after the Khmer Rouge came into power and the
subsequent invasion by Vietnam. The monarchy was subsequently restored
in the peace agreement of 1993. Shintoism and Mahayana Buddhism are the established religion in Japan, while Bhutan, Cambodia and Thailand are all Theravada Buddhist countries. However, most Japanese people practice Buddhism and Shinto simultaneously.

Other monarchies. Five monarchies do not fit into one of the above groups by virtue of geography or class of monarchy: Tonga and Samoa in Polynesia; Swaziland and Lesotho in Africa; and the Vatican City
in Europe. Of these, Lesotho and Tonga are constitutional monarchies,
while Swaziland and Vatican City are absolute monarchies. Samoa falls
into neither class, as one of the Four Paramount Chiefs of the country
is elected to hold the position of O le Ao o le Malo,
or "Chieftain of the Government". This position is not required by the
Samoan constitution, which is why Samoa is officially classified as a
republic rather than a constitutional monarchy. The pope is monarch of Vatican City by virtue of his position as head of the Catholic Church; he is an elected rather than hereditary ruler.